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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell learned Aldi was selling a new skincare range that looked similar to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She dashed to her local outlet to purchase the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the high-end 50ml cream.

The sleek blue tube and gold top of both creams look noticeably alike. While she has not used the luxury cream, she says she's impressed by the product so far.

She has been purchasing lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's in good company.

Over a quarter of UK shoppers state they've tried a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44% among younger adults, according to a recent survey.

Lookalikes are skincare products that copy well-known companies and present affordable alternatives to premium items. These products typically have alike branding and containers, but sometimes the components can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty experts say many alternatives to premium labels are good standard and aid make skincare more affordable.

"It is not true that more expensive is always superior," says consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not all low-budget product line is inferior - and not every premium skincare product is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely excellent," adds a skincare commentator, who presents a podcast about public figures.

Many of the products modeled on luxury labels "disappear so quickly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry thinks dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"These products will serve a purpose," he explains. "They will handle the essentials to a satisfactory level."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can spend less when searching for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a lookalike or something which is very inexpensive because there's not much that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

But the specialists also advise buyers do their research and note that higher-priced products are at times worthy of the premium price.

Regarding high-end skincare, you're not only funding the label and advertising - often the elevated price tag also comes from the formula and their quality, the strength of the effective element, the research employed to develop the product, and trials into the products' performance, the expert notes.

Skin therapist she suggests it's worth considering how some alternatives can be offered so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she says they could include less effective components that don't have as significant positive effects for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"The major uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she says.

Expert McGlynn notes in some cases he's bought skincare items that appear similar to a well-known brand but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Do not be fooled by the outer appearance," he added.

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For potent products or ones with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate recommends using more specialised brands.

The expert states these will likely have been subjected to costly tests to assess how efficacious they are.

Beauty products must be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the label makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it needs evidence to verify it, "but the manufacturer does not necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively use testing done by other companies, she clarifies.

Examine the Label of the Pack

Is there any components that could indicate a item is poor?

Ingredients on the label of the container are ordered by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up